Review Key Largo Diving on Rainbow Reef

[tmassey]

Would I dive with them again? If it were the only option, yes. I would also be VERY clear up front that we wouldn't be surfacing with the guide.

I agree, and do the same thing on every charter I take, in advance before I get on the boat. I’ve had your experience before, and don’t want to repeat it.

ETA: Often, you only have to do that a couple of times. If you’re not a train wreck, and are polite and reasonable, I find they usually remember you and proactively separate you from the group.

It helps that I dive doubles on every dive and have technical certs as well as solo diver. I don’t start throwing those around, but when I describe the profile I want to do and get pushback, it can often make the difference.

And as a single diver, I also hire technical dive guides just for me for more challenging dives: penetration of the Duane, the grand traverse of the Spiegel Grove, etc. You had a buddy, so you might not need to do that, but the great part of that is that it pretty much removes me from any of the other boat and dive nonsense…. It’s not the cheapest way to achieve that, but maybe the most effective…

 

[MrChen]

I agree, and do the same thing on every charter I take, in advance before I get on the boat. I’ve had your experience before, and don’t want to repeat it.

ETA: Often, you only have to do that a couple of times. If you’re not a train wreck, and are polite and reasonable, I find they usually remember you and proactively separate you from the group.

It helps that I dive doubles on every dive and have technical certs as well as solo diver. I don’t start throwing those around, but when I describe the profile I want to do and get pushback, it can often make the difference.

And as a single diver, I also hire technical dive guides just for me for more challenging dives: penetration of the Duane, the grand traverse of the Spiegel Grove, etc. You had a buddy, so you might not need to do that, but the great part of that is that it pretty much removes me from any of the other boat and dive nonsense…. It’s not the cheapest way to achieve that, but maybe the most effective…

This is solid advice. Thanks

 

[scubadada]

...I would also be VERY clear up front that we wouldn't be surfacing with the guide.

I was also confused by the short dive times. Website says dive times are 1 hour after the end of the briefing. Seems like that should give you at least 50 min, even if you jump toward the end

 

[MrChen]

Jokingly, we didn't not have to worry about the time, just the lack thereof

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

I worked as head captain at RR pre-covid and have worked as a part timer off and on but not since may 2023. Things *MAY* have changed since my last time running boats for them in May 2023 but I have not heard RR make the change and I still get the "memos" from the GM.

On dives such as the Spiegel Grove and Duane guides are offered but not required. Divers were always allowed to dive their profiles as long as they did not exceed NDL and came back onto the boat with a a MINIMUM of 500 psi and did not do any penetration diving, swim throughs only.

@MrChen I'd like to know if RR REQUIRED you to go with a guide on the Spiegel & Duane or did you ask to be guided?

On shallow reefs the company policy is for the captain to brief the dive site and then give a be back time NO LESS that one hour from completion of the briefing, several captains my self included allowed 70 minutes as a be back time. @MrChen was your experience different from that?

Many divers bring their own tanks for various reasons. They usually pull their vehicle up close to the dock, unload their gear/tanks and then go park. I suggest you try that next time.

Also I suggest talking with the captain about what exactly you want in terms of guiding and bottom times. It is unrealistic to think you can dive a tank down to 500 psi on a shallow reef before surfacing. I think the 60-70 minutes allowable water time is appropriate for more than one reason.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

EDIT: I just talked to the assistant GM at RR and he confirmed that no one is *required* to have a guide at any dive sites RR goes to.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Between Trips
We left our gear on the boat except the two used tanks. The office at the boat dock didn't have any equipment, so we drove down the street to the Rainbow Reef dive shop so I could purchase a new high pressure hose. You get to spin a wheel to win something, so my cousin and I both spun the wheel. He won $7 off a shirt, and he was disappointed that they didn't have any shirts with their dive op name printed on them. I came a hair away from a free dive trip, literally just had to blow on it. Instead, I won a high five. I bought a new hose, and they had the tools to install my SPG on the hose and the hose to my first stage. The lady in the dive shop was nice and helpful. We grabbed a small chicken sandwich at Wendy's.

Ok, that's just funny!

I dived with RR a couple years ago. Won't do that again. Was treated like a noob, and the pre dive briefing sounded more like kindergarten than certified divers. Agree that RR caters to the new diver, or traveling diver. The shop trying to sign in was a mess with all the boats leaving at the same time. Total confusion, even among the staff.

Last summer some out of town buddys and I went to the keys when the weather up here was starting to look less than ideal for a beach dive. Had a hard time finding a dive op that didn't cater to vacation divers. Most include tanks and weights in the price. Non negotiable. One diver has been diving since he was 12, (now early 60s) has his own gear, tanks, etc. But no log book (even though I could prove I've dived with him for years), and never got his advanced cert. Dive profile was to 90 ft. I called to find out if there would be a problem.. only after I said he was Nitrox cert did they allow him to sign up. Since then he got his advanced to avoid this in the future.

There’s a dive shop in Cudjoe Key (1h30m south of Largo) that offers private and small group charters. I’m trying them out in March but I’ve heard nothing but good things. It’s called Scuba Steve’s Dive Service!

I think that's the op I dived with back in November. A couple 6 packs. I was diving with a group and did not make the arrangements, but the name sounds familiar. They included Nitrox for the dives.. It was afterwards when I was talking to my buddy that we agreed the nitrox tasted bad. Don't know if that info ever got to the boat captain. Otherwise would dive with them again.

 

[MrChen]

Ok, that's just funny!

I dived with RR a couple years ago. Won't do that again. Was treated like a noob, and the pre dive briefing sounded more like kindergarten than certified divers. Agree that RR caters to the new diver, or traveling diver. The shop trying to sign in was a mess with all the boats leaving at the same time. Total confusion, even among the staff.

I mean, I was confused, but there were employees moving around like busy bees. I just asked one for help and that helped me a lot. It's not complicated, but walking into it for the first time, there were lots of moving parts.

Had a hard time finding a dive op that didn't cater to vacation divers. Most include tanks and weights in the price. Non negotiable.

Maybe this is a clue?

 

[fncrow]

By chance were you diving on Sunday? We were on the water with a fishing charter close to the Spiegel. Oodles of yellow tail, one giant cuda, and goliath (dehooked from water and he went back down). We got back to the dock around noonish.

I was. I was on Horizons boat though. I saw you guys out there fishing. The dives that day were great, zero current on the wreck.

As for RR and the OP. I did my ICD with them 10+ years ago. I have no complaints about the IDC and there were some good people there but they run a very young crew (most unpaid "interns") and there was a lot of drama amongst them all I observed.

They definitely cater more toward vacation divers and I feel like they've gotten worse since acquiring Ocean Divers and agree with the Disney analogy used. As already mentioned though they do allow you to go without the guides so I'm not sure why you had that problem.

Next time you want to do the wrecks I recommend you go on Horizon. They double dip the wrecks pretty much every morning and allow you to dive how you want as long as you don't go into unplanned deco and come back to the boat when they say too.

 

[MrChen]

I'll definitely try Horizons. I want to emphasize that the office and boat crew were great. The only negative was with the guides.